City greets Petty caravan

Celebrities raising awareness of camp for ill children

PAULETTE PERHACHpaulette.perhach@staugustine.com

Published Friday, July 20, 2007

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Some celebrities sneak through town, being hush-hushed through our ritziest hotels.

Kyle Petty and about 275 friends chose a slightly different route as they rode through St. Augustine on the Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America. The goal was to raise awareness of Victory Junction Gang Camp, which provides a free camp experience to children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

Starting their party at the Casa Monica, they strode over to the Plaza de la Constitucion to hear a proclamation from Vice Mayor Don Crichlow, commending the riders.

A few dozen spectators stopped to take pictures with Petty and welcome him to town.

Petty is joined by other celebrities, including Niki Taylor, Herschel Walker and his father, Richard Petty. Though they did not join him at the Plaza, they will be at Chick-fil-A on U.S. 1 this morning until about 9 a.m. before hitting the road again.

Their 2,800-mile trip started in the woodlands of New England. They wound through the Blue Ridge Mountains and stopped by the Camp in Randleman, N.C.

They visited during Burn/Skin/Craniofacial Disorder Week, knowing that all 125 children there for the week were sponsored by last year's ride.

"The riders got to see the kids for the first time," said Petty. "The riders are the one who fund the camp This was the first time they really got to understand the camp."

The ride officially ends in Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, but some riders will go on to Key West, just to be able to say they drove from Maine to the Keys, said Petty.

The ride was first held in 1994 as an impromptu cruise from North Carolina that started with four people. By the time they rode into Phoenix for a NASCAR race, they had gained about 30 riders. Petty founded the ride as a result. Now in its 13th year, the ride has logged more than 45,000 miles, included more than 5,350 riders and donated more than $9 million to charity.

But, said Petty, "The ride is to raise awareness for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, more than funds."

Go to www.chick-fil-akylepettycharityride.com for more information.

About Victory Junction Gang Camp

The Victory Junction Gang Camp is a not-for-profit organization founded by NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and his wife, Pattie, in honor of their son Adam.

Located on 72 acres in Randleman, N.C., the camp opened its doors in 2004 to enrich the lives of children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses by creating camping experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, empowering, physically safe and medically sound. More information is about the camp is available at www.victoryjunction.org.